Creative writing
We need creativity
I have written books. A couple I self-published and there are still gremlins in my head sneering ‘That’s not real publishing, it’s vanity, who cares, you’re not good enough’. That was the same voice asking me who I thought I was as I walked to corridor to meet my PhD supervisor for the first time, incredulous that she had accepted me as her student. I know this voice and these days kind of shrug at it most of the time and move on, move away as I would do from a snide comment from a not so nice kid at school when I was too tall, too thin, too foreign.
The PhD is in the British Library which is the biggest thrill (it meant that I could have a reader’s card for the very rare occassions I was in London with time to kill before my train departed from Euston), and having Into the Woods editted by Kate Taylor and published by Middle Farm Press was a delight; I just loved working as part of a team with Kate and illustrator Anita Wyatt.
Speaking with Sophie Lambert about her career as a literary agent really underlined the importance of having a team around what can be a solitary experience; reading and writing. I had expected that Sophie would talk about her love of reading, but I hadn’t thought about the relational aspect of her work before. She talked about the love of working with writers from idea to publication and the pleasure she finds in working creatively with interesting people.
How often do we have the experience of working creatively with interesting people to bring something new into the world? So many of our teams and our meetings focus on process, data, outcomes, goals. So many are hierarchical, limiting rather than generating ideas and innovation.
In this unprecidented moment where the IPCC report screams at us to make monumental changes to how we live, consume, vote and consume, we need creativity, we need generative teams and innovators, we need new stories to help us imagine ourselves into the future we all need.
You can listen to my podcast with Sophie here.
To work with me get in touch through my site. I have also produced lots of online materials (some of which are free) to suppport you.
Sophie Lambert is a literary director and agent who started her career as a bookseller on Charing Cross Road, and became a buyer for Blackwell and later Foyles. In this conversation we talk about the publishing industry and how risk taking can lead you to just the right place.
Julie Leoni
Coach, author, podcaster, facilitator, Yoga and psychology teacher, learner
I have over 30 years of experience and qualification in various therapeutic and meditation/mindfulness based approaches. I work with change. Some changes we chose, others happen to us. Sometimes we know we want to change but don't know how. Sometimes we don't want to change but external events or people are forcing us to change. The menopause, children leaving home, the end of a relationship or job, becoming a parent, coming out, bereavement are just some of the personal changes I support people with. I also work with people who want to make changes to their life and wider world in response to social issues such as Covid, the climate crisis and racial, sexual and gender inequalities. Times are changing whether we want them to or not and we need to be nimble, agile, curious and open in order to part of the new story emerging. Work with me to get clear on what matters to you, what makes your heart sing and what kind of future you want for yourself and those you love. It is possible to live differently, get in touch to explore how.
